Improvement in steam ships and boats



BENJAMIN T. BABBITTQ Improvement in Steam-Ships and Boats. N0. 127,825,I PatentedJuneH,1872.

WITNESSES:

PATENT OFFICE. Y

BENJAMIN T. BABBITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STEAM SHIPS AND BOATS..

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,825, dated June 11,1872.

Specification describing certain Improvements in Navigable Vessels,invented by BEN- JAMIN T. BABBITT, of the city, county, and State of NewYork. i

This invention relates to a novel construction of steam-vessels withstraight sides and bottoms, as contradistinguished from wavelines, asheretofore practiced, and is more particularly adapted to the navigationof still water; and it consists in constructing the hull ofparallelogram mic form in its horizontal section, and with its hullproper slanting upwardly at each end, the front or bow being guarded byvertical bars or grating; and below the hull is a series of longitudinalchannels for the passage of water from bow to stern, so that the waterin front of the vessel may be drawn in by a suitable water-wheel andexpelled thereby through said channels, which latter prevent the waterfrom acting as a shifting ballast.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinalsection of a vessel constructed according to my invention; Fig. 2, afront-end view of such vessel; and Fig. 3, a transverse section on theline a; w on Fig. 1; the same letters indicating like parts in theseveral figures.

Referring to said drawing, A represents the shell of the vessel, and Bits hull proper. The shell is of rectangular form longitudinally, butits sides may be slanting or rounding from top to bottom in a verticaldirection in cross-section. While the shell is formed with verticalend-outlines the hull proper is made sloping upward at both ends withinthe bottom of said shell, to give a downward tendency for the water infront to enter the channels 0 beneath it,

and an upward rather than a lateral direction at its stern. The forwardend of the shell is formed of vertical bars, to prevent the entrance ofsticks or other floating dbm's; and at a suitable distance within thebow of the hull proper is arranged, on horizontal transverse axis, anysuitable rotating water-wheel D, which, being operated by steam or otherpower, draws the water in from front of the shell A, and expels it atthe stern through the channels 0.

This vessel may be steered by an ordinary rudder or rudders, or bybalance-valves applied to the side channels 0, to direct the flowtherethrough to either side, and thus deflect the boat from its course.

It will be evidentin a vessel of this construction that the resistanceon the bow portion is almost entirely removed, and that a propellingforce by the ejection of the water from the bow at the stern isobtained, while the sides and bottom of the vessel, or its shellportion, being straight from end to end, ofi'er no resistance due todisplacement of the water, and, if made but slightly tapering toward thestern, little or no resistance by friction of the water thereon.

Claim.

The Water-channel under the bottom of the boat, extending the wholewidth of the latter and having longitudinal divisions to prevent thewater from acting as a shifting ballast, as shown and described.

BENJAMIN T. BABBITT. Witnesses:

W. MORRIS SMITH, SYDNEY E. SMITH.

